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Liberty
04-16-2012, 10:15 PM
Hello,

I'm new to the forum and hoping some of you experts can help. I live in deep southeast Texas and used to have a beautiful bed of bananas reaching 12-14 feet tall. About three years ago my husband "mulched" the bed with wood chips and saw dust from his workshop. Since then, the bananas have been sickly and the growth has been severely stunted; at most around 4 feet tall. I have tried fertilizing according to the nursery's instructions (I can't remember what it was last year) but my bananas are still pitiful. Does anyone know if they can be restored to health? I have considered digging them all up and starting over, but I'm afraid the soil is poisoned and new plants would be just as vulnerable. Thanks for any advice!

harveyc
04-16-2012, 10:36 PM
The addition of lots of wood chips and sawdust will temporarily lower the nitrogen levels as the microbes utilize the nitrogen in their job of decomposing the wood products. I would have thought that this could have been accomplished in one season but you did have dry weather in Texas last year so maybe that slowed things down. I would suggest just applying more nitrogen and keeping the wood chips moist so they break down more quickly. Good luck and welcome!

caliboy1994
04-16-2012, 10:52 PM
Fish emulsion? :D

sunfish
04-16-2012, 10:56 PM
Vacuum leaf blower :)

Yug
04-16-2012, 11:31 PM
Need nitro? Steer manure (composted so it stinks less). I know you got steers in Texas!!

Liberty
04-17-2012, 01:27 AM
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!